KYIV. Nov 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – OTP Bank (Kyiv) has signed a cooperation agreement with Alfa Smart Agro, a manufacturer of plant protection products and micro fertilizers, in the field of lending to agricultural enterprises.
According to a bank press release, according to the terms of the program, agrarians can get loans from OTP Bank for the purchase of more than 60 types of plant protection agents produced by Alfa Smart Agro at a special rate of 12% per annum in the hryvnia. At the same time, a preliminary decision on financing is made within one day, while credit funds are available on the ninth working day.
The amount of financing can be up to UAH 8 million, and a pledge can be an agrarian receipt or a future crop, as well as the company’s assets.
“We are constantly working to expand the opportunities that Ukrainian agricultural producers can use in the framework of our strategic program of agro crediting OTP Agro-Factory. Now more than 40 farms have benefited from financing from OTP Bank, in particular to purchase raw materials through our partner programs,” head of the Agro-Factory project Ivan Yerko said.
According to him, OTP Bank together with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) implemented a simplified and accelerated approach to financing farmers under the Agro-Factory program, which provides farms that are engaged in growing grains and oilseeds and have the land bank from 500 hectares with access to money for sowing and harvesting campaigns.
KYIV. Nov 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has huge deferred investment attractiveness, but political activity of the business is a necessary condition for changes in the country, said People’s Deputy of Ukraine Serhiy Taruta.
“We all understand that the Ukrainian business will rapidly develop if acceptable conditions are created for it: to conduct deregulation, curb the monopolists (energy, logistics, etc.), reduce the pressure of regulators and law enforcement agencies that are now actually engaged in raiding. Possibility to attract cheap long-term resources for investment is also needed,” Taruta said at the business forum titled “Level Up Ukraine 2017,” the press service of the MP informed.
He stressed that, according to Western experts, Ukraine has tremendous investment opportunities.
“When we presented the Ukraine-2030 Sustainable Development Doctrine in the Bundestag, ex-Minister of Finance Peer Steinbruck said that Ukraine has huge deferred investment attractiveness and all the necessary resources for development. We have worn out the whole infrastructure – energy, industry, logistics, and this is a huge space for attracting large-scale investments. But Ukraine needs to regain the confidence of investors to attract investment,” the MP said.
The politician also considers political activity of business as a necessary condition for changes.
“Businessmen usually stick to the position “politics is separated from business.” But in Western countries, business is more politically active. If the Ukrainian business is more politically active, then we will be able to restart the political system, which will lead to rapid positive changes in the country,” Taruta said.
KYIV. Nov 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine plans to start three reconstruction projects for 232 km of roads with cement surfacing in 2018. The project would cost around UAH 8 billion.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the project was discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary transport committee.
The first project is reconstruction of the northern orbital road around Zhytomyr in Kyiv-Chop M-06 highway (22.3 km).
“It is planned to upgrade the road category to 1b [the extension of the road from two to four lanes, the estimated traffic intensity is 14,000 vehicles]. Land has already been allocated,” Director of the department for strategic development of the road market and road transport of the Infrastructure Ministry Viktor Sasin said.
According to the representative of the State Automobile Roads Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) Andriy Chabanovsky, the cost of reconstruction will be UAH 1 billion. The project is financed from the loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
In addition, the investment project for reconstruction of the Dnipro-Reshetylivka N-31 highway provides for the expansion of the road from two to four lanes, as well as the coating in cement concrete (137 km), Sasin said. The cost of the project, according to Ukravtodor, is UAH 5.4 billion.
It is planned to carry out major repairs of the Kropyvnytsky-Mykolaiv N-11 highway, within the borders of Mykolaiv region (73 km), Chabanovsky said. Road coverage, according to the prepared project, is cement concrete. The project cost is UAH 1.6 billion, the works will begin in 2018.
KYIV. Oct 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Searches at the offices of Smart Energy and at the place of residence of its managers are conducted for far-fetched reasons with the aim of once again pressing on the opposition, the owner of the Smart-Holding, deputy from the Opposition Bloc, Vadim Novinsky, has stated.
“This way they are trying to influence me as a politician in some way. In addition, this is pressure on the opposition. This is another way to arrange economic raiding at the enterprises in which I am a shareholder,” he said on the sidelines of the parliament.
He stated that all his companies observe the law and are transparent, therefore “there is nothing to be afraid of.”
According to him, representatives of the tax police are in the offices of Smart Energy for “absolutely far-fetched reasons.” Novinsky added that his other companies are also subject to “huge repressive pressure” from other law enforcement agencies: the Security Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Interior Ministry.
Smart Energy is a managing company in the Smart-Holding Group of Vadim Novinsky. It is responsible for the development of projects in the field of hydrocarbon production and alternative energy.
KYIV. Nov 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain Alliance (Stockholm, Sweden) with assets in Ukraine plans to invest about $2 million in the launch of a flour mill in Yahotyn (Kyiv region) in April-May 2018.
“Now we are working, we’ve already brought equipment for wheat processing into flour. We plan to start it in April-May,” Grain Alliance CEO Yevhen Radoveniuk said on the sidelines of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Forum in Kyiv.
According to him, investment in the plant will amount to about $2 million.
In addition, the company is developing two projects to create added value: production of seeds of soybeans, wheat, oats, rye, and production of liquid micro fertilizers.
“In the next year or two investment in seed production could reach $1-1.5 million, flour production about $2 million, and mineral fertilizers about $1 million,” the expert said.
As reported, Grain Alliance plans until 2020 to double elevator capacity, to 400,000 tonnes. Over this period, it plans to expand its land bank to 100,000 hectares, reach grain sales of 1 million tonnes.
Grain Alliance cultivates 53,000 hectares of agricultural land in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions.
KYIV. Nov 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) has become the world’s first full-scale mining and metallurgical enterprise that holds two certificates: compliance with the sustainable development management system and the responsible sourcing system in accordance with the BES 6001 standard.
According to a company press release, the availability of these certificates will be an additional advantage of the company over competitors in the construction segment, when choosing suppliers of metal products for the most responsible construction projects around the world.
“Our enterprise has successfully passed two stages of the CARES certification audit, which was a significant moment for all of us. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih has once again confirmed the high quality of its metal products and compliance with the most stringent standards. Due to the well-coordinated work of our entire team, we can be proud of this achievement. The availability of these certificates will significantly improve our competitiveness and strengthen the company’s position in the world markets of metal goods,” Deputy CEO for Marketing and Sales at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Anastasia Tatarulyeva said.
It is explained that the BES 6001 international standard is developed in the UK in order to assess the responsible selection of resources in the supply chain and in order to evaluate the company’s product strategy by the criteria of social, economic and environmental sustainability.
